Shattered Skies
by Sir Perfluous
Summary: Having started to recover its strength, the Resistance is faced with a dilemma when the First Order begins a major offensive with a new secret weapon. With the lives of countless people hanging in the balance, General Organa and Poe must fight their own personal battle and decide if the costs of helping the New Republic are too much to bear.
1. Skirmish Lines

**Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars and this story is set sometime after my other fic "My Brother's Keeper."**

 **I like to think this fic is also my little way of helping Uncle Ethan and the rest of the Fandom Menace fight back against all the soy based entertainment currently coming out of Lucasfilm. Enjoy.**

* * *

A hail of red blaster fire lit up the battlefield as several X-wings of Black Squadron engaged in a vicious deep space melee against a flight of TIE fighters. The Resistance forces present had caught the First Order supply convoy by surprise and several shuttles full of commandos were already busy capturing some of the cargo transports. As the raid continued, Captain Poe Dameron rolled his fighter clear of some fire from an enemy escort frigate and gunned down another TIE with his cannons.

From the backseat, he heard his trusty friend and astromech droid BB-8 give a squawk. Poe maneuvered around to weave through the melee and chase off a few more enemies, "I know, I know BB-8. It's getting a little hot out here but we have to give our people more time to secure those cargo freighters."

At that moment, more intercepting fire from the escort ships came at them and the Resistance X-wings scrambled to avoid the barrage. Poe gritted his teeth as his X-wing took a glancing hit and his fighters shield's were rattled while one of his wingmates Jessika Pava angled over and took up a spot covering his right wing, "What's taking those commandos so long? If those escort frigates get any closer, we're going to get shredded by their fire."

"Keep up the fighter screens Black Squadron," came the voice of General Leia Organa from the bridge of her new Resistance cruiser named the Valor, "We have a flight of B-wing bombers on the way."

"You heard the General everyone, let's keep these TIE fighters off balance," Poe ordered as Black Squadron continued to battle their foes.

As the battle progressed, the oddly shaped B-wing fighter bombers came into range unloading several deadly volleys of proton torpedoes that smashed into some of the First Order frigates that were laying down suppressing fire. The familiar voice of a younger Twi'lek man came in over the comms. It was the leader of the B-wing flight and the son of one of the fleet captains, Lt. Kamori, "Thought you nice folks could use a hand out here Captain Dameron."

"Much obliged Lieutenant. Thank you," Poe smiled before BB-8 gave another alarmed yelp. Poe checked his sensors and gasped as an enemy star destroyer suddenly jumped into the sector and dropped a fresh wave of enemy TIE fighters.

"We've got company!" Jess called with an edge of alarm in her voice, "ETA is 2 minutes on those fighters."

"Cargo ships have been secured. Beginning hyperspace jump sequence," came another call over the Resistance comms as several of the large container vessels quickly changed course and began to head for their jump point.

Poe nodded and radioed into the Valor, "General? Transports are underway. Should we stay and cover them or return home?"

Leia was about to respond when a flight of faster TIE interceptors outpaced their comrades and came into range of the captured transports. They began firing a hail of blaster bolts and missiles at the slow moving and vulnerable targets. To everyone's surprise, three of the B-wings sped up and veered into the way of the oncoming fire.

"Oh no you don't!" came the voice of Lt. Kamori as he and his flight returned fire against the interceptors and took a pounding from their laser fire. With the bombers of his flight heavily damaged, they pushed just a little further and he took a pair of missiles that were meant for the transports causing his B-wing to erupt into a fiery cloud of shrapnel.

On the bridge of the cruiser, Leia witnessed the heroic sacrifice of the B-wing pilot and she froze with indecisiveness as Poe's voice called again, "General? What are your orders?"

There was a long pause with no response before Poe's other wingman Temmin Wexley radioed over, "Black Leader?"

Poe grimaced, "Okay Black Squadron, form up on me. We'll screen those transports as long as we can. All other Resistance ships pull out and head home!"

The Resistance strike group fell back and reorganized around the Valor before three of the captured transports jumped away into the safety of hyperspace. The rest of the Resistance task force joined suit before Black Squadron broke off their own battle with the TIEs as well. Jess sighed in relief, "I think that's our cue."

"Copy that. BB-8, let's get the hell out of here," Poe called back as the last of the X-wings folded their wings and rocketed away into light speed ceding the battlefield to the menacing First Order destroyer.

All things considered, this had been a successful supply raid against the First Order. They had disrupted the enemy fleet's operations in the sector and absconded with numerous tons of supplies, medicine, and munitions. But even as the raiders made their way back toward their rendezvous point, the mood had been dampened with the death of Lt. Kamori. He had been a well liked pilot and an asset to the recovering Resistance Fighter Corps. They had a feeling that his loss and the unusual behavior of General Organa did not bode well for the debriefing when they got back to the cruiser.

* * *

Elsewhere, a tall late middle aged man stood on the bridge of the Resurgent class star destroyer Eviscerator. The thin graying man with sallow features that made him look more like a vulture wore the dark uniform of a First Order fleet admiral. It was a look which had not seemed to change very much from his younger days serving as an officer in the Imperial Navy. He kept his eyes fixed forward on the ship's panoramic viewport as he contemplated in the darkness and the stars ahead of him. He heard footsteps behind him and he turned slowly to see one of his aides approaching with some data slates.

The younger commander marched forward and handed the first slate over with a dutiful nod, "Admiral Varrot, these are the new reports from our allies and the deployments of their forces. There's also a holo message coming in from General Hux himself sir. Shall I patch it through to your quarters?"

"No Commander. I will take it here. Now leave me," the admiral said waving his subordinate off the private section of the bridge. Varrot took the second tablet and activated the transmitter which projected the image of the younger red headed high commander of the First Order forces. The holo projection of Hux stood at rigid attention and crossed his hands behind his back, regarding Varrot with a grim countenance, "Admiral... I trust you have a status report for me?"

Varrot nodded calmly, "Yes sir. Final preparations are underway for the Cerberus Cannon. Testing should finish within the day and we'll be ready to begin our next move."

Hux's lip curled slightly, "Our new offensive on New Republic space has been successful, but the Mid Rim worlds and those of the Inner Core will have more time to organize a defense. If we are going to be able to breach their planetary shields, then we will need that new weapon to be fully operational."

"And you can rest assured we will be ready," Varrot replied, "If we can cut off the Republic in this section of the Mid Rim, we should be able to strike at the Core Worlds in a two pincer attack."

"And what of the Resistance?" Hux asked with a frown, "I've been receiving reports that they have been making several raids on your supply convoys in the region."

Varrot waved it off dismissively, "The Resistance are mere gadflies General and that material is nothing that can't be easily replaced either. The Resistance have become increasingly bold of late, but I doubt even their recovering forces have enough to strength to threaten our next push."

Hux nodded, "Very well Admiral. I expect your fleet to be underway soon and you must not fail me or the Supreme Leader either. I'm going to issue your new orders and the plan of attack for our next target... the planet of Naboo."

* * *

After reaching their safe rendezvous point and returning to the Valor, the X-wing pilots of Black Squadron took some time to rest and recover before attending an impromptu service for the fallen Lt. Kamori. After the Resistance's harrowing escape from Utapau and the aid of General Lando Calrissian from Bespin, they had begun rebuilding their strength. The First Order had already launched aggressive attacks on the galaxy and the meager Forces of the New Republic were still on the defensive, trying desperately to organize into some kind of cohesive and competent force again. With the news of two great heroes of the old Rebellion still at large and now carrying a hyperspace cloaking device, numerous volunteers had begun to filter in offering some soldiers, smaller escort ships, several starfighters, and even the salvaged Mon Calamari cruiser that they were currently stationed on.

Two such volunteers had been the Twi'leks Lt. Bril Kamori and his father Telos Kamori who captained an old Nebulon-B frigate in the new fleet. With the distraught captain now aboard, he was joined by several Resistance pilots and General Organa who came to offer their sympathy. After they gathered in one of the large spartan wardrooms of the cruiser, they stood and listened as a few pilots in the B-wing squadron offered a eulogy for Bril followed by some words from Leia. As the pilots of Black Squadron stood at attention and listened, Poe couldn't help but look off into the large viewport and think back to the fateful evacuation of D'Qar and how many brave pilots and bomber crews gave their lives to slow down the enemy there. It wasn't until those events and the following massacre around Crait that the weight of comrades lives and the responsibility for them had set in for Poe.

He had understood that some of his actions and command decisions had been considered a little reckless. While he had learned to accept that responsibility, he also accepted that with their war came the inevitable truth that no one could be fully protected from death either. Even if he still didn't agree with the flawed ideology of the late Vice Admiral Holdo, he had come to learn through experience that if lives had to be lost, then they might as well be meaningful, such as how Bril had died protecting those cargo ships.

As the eulogies ended and crewmen came forward to offer condolences to Captain Kamori, Poe was stirred from his thoughts when he felt a gentle elbow to the side. Jessika who had been standing beside him with Temmin tilted her head and spoke in a hushed voice, "Heads up Poe. General Organa at one o clock."

The three Black Squadron pilots all turned to face Leia and offer her respectful greetings as she approached. She gave a quick nod to Jessika and Temmin before glancing at Poe, "Pilots. Thank you... can I have a brief word with Captain Dameron?"

Temmin gave his flight leader a quick clap on the shoulder before Leia continued on to a far corner of the room with Poe close behind. He hesitated before offering a probing comment, "Uh... that was a nice little service you gave General. I'm sure Captain Kamori appreciated it."

Leia offered a thin smile and gave a tired glance over toward her fellow Resistance commander across the room being consoled by other pilots. She turned back to Poe, "Yes. I'm sure he did. Truth be told, you would think after all this time things like this would get easier, but it never does especially around family."

Poe nodded, "I'm sure. Lt. Kamori was a good pilot and I think his father can rest a little easier knowing that his son may have helped save lives out there."

"May have," Leia chimed in while raising a finger pointedly, "That's the problem... that's not good enough for me. We've got too many young headstrong pilots throwing themselves into enemy fire and getting themselves killed nowadays."

"He helped complete the mission," Poe pointed out quietly, "I don't like the fact we lost a pilot either, but the cargo we recovered will help us keep fighting and..."

"And it's just cargo," Leia argued back, "Food and weapons can always be replaced but people's lives can't. You of all people should understand that."

Poe fell silent while feeling a growing frustration with the General's odd temperament today, "I'm guessing this has something to do with why you pulled me aside here?"

"Yes," Leia said taking a deep breath, "I'd like you to do a full review of our fighter wings and go over this latest operation. See what could have been done differently so that we can prevent any more casualties."

Poe blinked, "General? That raid on the convoy was already carefully planned. With the intel we had, there's no way we could have known another star destroyer would have jumped into the sector and sent a new wing of TIE fighters at us."

"And you don't think Black Squadron could have done anything differently then?"

"General, we were waiting for your orders in that battle," Poe protested carefully, "I had to improvise out there and I made a command decision."

"A decision you should have run by me first," Leia snapped back.

Poe frowned in confusion. He had argued over strategies with General Organa before but never like this. She had never been this unreasonable in the past and made him wonder if something unusual was going on. "General..."

"We aren't going to get into that conversation Captain," she insisted firmly, "I want that review on my desk in two days. 1500 hours."

Knowing he was not going to win this fight, he gave a deflated sigh before a communications officer entered the room and headed toward them. The younger blonde female with short hair gave a salute and cleared her throat, "Captain Dameron. General Organa. I have an urgent message here for the both of you. I'm told it's from one of your friends who just docked with the Valor."

Leia and Poe exchanged a puzzled look before she spoke, "What is this about? Who sent the message Lieutenant?"

The younger woman answered, "Ma'am, General Lando Calrissian would like to meet with you. He said he has some important intel about the First Order and a new super weapon they're planning to field."


	2. Chains of Command

Upon reaching the one of the ship's conference rooms that had been designated for senior officers, Leia and Poe were greeted by the familiar infectious grin of the great Lando Calrissian. Despite his gray appearance, the former Bespin administrator and hero of the Rebellion had not lost any of his charm or energy as he took Leia's hands warmly and gave a slight bow of the head, "Your Highness. Always a pleasure to see you again."

Leia couldn't help but return the smile to her old friend, "If only they were under better circumstances my friend."

Lando turned and extended a friendly hand to Poe, "Nice to see you again too Poe. Give your other friends my regards."

"I will General Calrissian. Thanks."

Lando chuckled and waved it off, "No need for the formalities kid. After you and Finn helped me escape Bespin, you can just call me Lando."

Leia patted her old comrade's arm and led him toward the table wearing a troubled look, "I hate to be the downer here Lando but I was told you came with some important news about the First Order?"

Lando nodded and assumed a more serious expression before leading them to the briefing room's holo projector. On one console, he pulled up a map of the galaxy and opened up a channel to another person. Once the call was patched through, they saw the face of a middle aged man with hazel eyes and short thinning blonde hair cut in a neat military fashion. He had a few weathered lines along his cheeks and the man wore the uniform of a ship captain in the New Republic Navy.

"Everyone? This is Admiral Trevsom of the Republic's 5th Fleet," Lando said, "Admiral? General Leia Organa and Captain Poe Dameron of the Resistance."

Leia scrutinized the younger Republic commander a moment, "Hello Admiral… I apologize, but I don't think I've heard your name before."

Trevsom gave a rueful smile, "I can't blame you General. I've recently been breveted to this post by my peers… whether I wanted it or not. In the wake of the First Order's invasion, we've been scrambling to organize our remaining assets and cobble together a new command structure."

"I don't quite follow here. What is all this about?" Poe asked Lando in confusion.

Lando gestured to the map showing territory held by the First Order and the Republic. "I've been gathering information from my network of contacts and spies. We've caught wind that the First Order plans on launching another major offensive into the Mid Rim."

Leia studied the map for a minute and pointed out a bulge in the Republic line, "If I had to guess, the enemy means to strike somewhere around here?"

Admiral Trevsom nodded as the map zoomed in closer to the region of space, "We've detected First Order ships massing in this area which lines up with General Calrissian's intel. We think the enemy means to break through and cut our forces off from each other and it looks like the planet of Naboo will be the key target."

"And if the First Order takes that planet, then they'll have a prime staging area for invading the Core Worlds," Poe surmised aloud.

Leia remained silent, feeling even more dread that her mother's idyllic homeworld was now under threat of attack once more.

Lando nodded, "Yes. Admiral Trevsom has cobbled together a fleet of ships and is holding the line around Naboo. Even with the addition of the local defense forces, it may not be enough to stem the tide."

"So we're asking for the help of your Resistance fleet in the coming battle," Trevsom stated bluntly, "I know it's a lot to ask General Leia but we're in dire need of your help and so is Naboo."

Leia grimaced as she weighed things over in her mind, "You understand that you put me in a difficult position Admiral. As much as I would like to help you, you're asking me to risk my fleet in what will likely be a costly battle."

"But one that has to be fought if we're going to protect all those people on Naboo."

"It's a battle that didn't have to be fought in the first place if the Republic had any foresight to begin with," Leia answered coldly, "You understand that no one in the Senate had listened to us when we were raising the alarm about the First Order. We were dismissed as a warmongering fringe group and now you're asking us for our help? If we had crushed the First Order before they had a chance to mobilize, we wouldn't be in this bloody mess."

Trevsom winced slightly under the withering rebuke from Leia before speaking again, "General, I actually understand your past frustration with the Republic government but you have to realize that those of us in the fleet are just following our orders and trying to clean up this mess too. We were not the original policymakers."

"You're still asking me to subject my fleet and my people to the Republic's chain of command once more," Leia countered patiently, "I still have a duty to protect my own people and that's what I plan to do."

Poe gave an incredulous look, "General? Don't you think we should still do something to help?"

"I think we should be thinking carefully here," Leia answered quietly, "After the losses we've sustained before, we need to pick and choose our battles."

Lando shook his head, "I'm afraid the First Order isn't going to give us much of a choice Leia. My sources say that the enemy forces moving toward Naboo are packing a new super weapon… something they're calling the Cerberus Cannon."

He changed the display to a schematic of a large interstellar weapons platform. The broad base of the cannon was a large power generator and the cannon itself branched into three giant rectangular pillars. Lando crossed his arms, "If the information from our spies is correct, then this three headed ion cannon has the potential to bring down planetary shields in just a few volleys. It can do what a fleet of destroyers can in only a fraction of the time. But that's not the worst part."

Lando continued with a graphic of the cannon's firing on a test planet. "When the hyper-ionized particles of this weapon collapse a shield, it could literally bring parts of the energy shield down on the surface of the planet, which is bad news if there are population centers down below."

"Like getting hit with broken shards of a glass ceiling," Poe nodded grimly.

Admiral Trevsom folded his hands, "The majority of our fleet will be in orbit blocking the attack on Naboo, but we believe a smaller force led by allied fighters might be the best way to slip past the enemy and knock out that cannon."

Poe grinned excitedly, "That sounds like something that Black Squadron can do. Precision strikes are exactly our thing."

"Out of the question," Leia interjected quickly, "Black Squadron is the best fighter squadron in our fleet. We'll need them here."

Admiral Trevsom wrinkled his features in confusion, "General, are you really going to turn us away in our hour of need?"

"I never said I wasn't going to help you Admiral," Leia replied with an air of calm steel, "But I'm not committing my forces yet either. I'll be in contact with you."

As the video feed cut off, Lando gave a surprised look but remained quiet as he turned off the schematics. Poe blinked a few times before turning to Leia in confusion, "General? If I may... is something wrong?"

Leia glanced over and looked to the young man with one of her two usual expressions. Instead of the kind and maternal one, she she had opted for her stern and steely expression today, "I beg your pardon?"

"Is something wrong General?" Poe asked again, "You've been on edge since the raid earlier and now you're basically telling a fleet admiral to go scratch."

Leia huffed in mild annoyance, "And what exactly are you getting at Captain?"

"I'd like to know why we're turning our back on a Republic planet and our allied forces when they need help."

"You're thinking about this issue like a soldier Poe. When you become one of the people that head up the entire Resistance, then you'll understand."

Poe did his best to contain his frustration. This was starting to feel like his fight with Holdo all over again, "Then help me understand!"

Leia glared at him for along moment before shaking her head, "Now is not the time Poe. Please go and do as I asked you before."

The young pilot looked to Lando who simply shrugged his shoulders helplessly. Poe nodded and headed out of the briefing room, clearly frustrated and confused but doing his best to maintain a level bearing, "Yes Ma'am."

* * *

The next day, the sounds of clattering trays and utensils filled the air of the Valor's mess hall as Black Squadron pilots Jessika Pava and Temmin Wexley made their way from the serving line to the main room. They took a moment to look around the hall where a mixture of men, women, and alien crewmembers were all busy eating lunch and trying to enjoy a few minutes of peace before going back on their work shifts. At the far corner of the hall, they found Poe sitting by himself at a corner table hunched over a few datapads. The remnants of his meal sat on his tray that had been pushed off to the side while he studied his project intently.

The older portly Temmin led Jessika over and took a seat with their squadron commander. "How's the report coming, boss?"

"Horrible," Poe muttered as he set down his work and gave a sigh, "I honestly don't know what's gotten into General Organa and I don't even know what I'm trying to look for while picking apart the recent battle."

Jessika who sat beside him, put a comforting hand on his shoulder, "Maybe it's something that's out of your hands Poe. If some of the rumors that have been going around the ship are true, then General Organa's not the only one who is right to be edgy."

"Are you asking me to fill you in about that private meeting yesterday? Nice try Jess."

Temmin poked the food on his plate and gave a thoughtful scratch of his beard, "Some of the communications officers have been whispering to the rest of the crew, so are you really going to be like that with us? I mean, this is pretty serious stuff. If the First Order is launching a major attack, then we're probably going to have to be right in the thick of it."

Poe paused and eyed his two closest friends in the squad before lowering his voice, "All right, but none of this leaves the table."

Amid the clamor and noise of the mess hall which served as a perfect way to muffle such a private conversation, Poe told his wingmates about what he had learned. After he finished, both of them sat quietly wearing troubled expressions. Jessika grimaced, "The First Order is really fielding another super weapon? Is there no end to those things?"

Temmin waved it off, "Forget that. I'm more shocked the General doesn't seem to eager to help the Republic fleet. They're going to need every man they can get. Hell, they might start pulling any poor bastard off the streets of Theed and throwing him in an X-wing."

"It doesn't make sense and it doesn't seem right either," Poe nodded with a dark frown, "We've never had the best relations with the Republic Senate and I can understand if the general doesn't want to commit our fleet. But I don't see why we can't spare a squadron or two of our fighters to help take out that cannon either. We're the Resistance. Isn't protecting the people of the Republic kind of our job?"

Jessika chewed her lip in thought before chiming in, "Your idea isn't an unreasonable one Poe. It seems like it could be a fair compromise. Maybe if you appealed to the general and made a case for it, she might reconsider."

"Maybe," Poe shrugged, "But I'd also need to get buy in from the squad if we volunteer for this mission. And if you two are on board with this."

"Don't worry about that boss. You know we're with you all the way," Temmin grinned, "We'd go to hell and back with you."

Poe looked over to Jessika and she gave a small smile and a resolute nod too. Poe stood up and took his tray, "All right... then it's settled. If you two don't mind, I've got to get ready to have us save the Republic once again."

* * *

Some time later, Leia sat in behind the large desk in her quarters drinking a cup of hot tea with Lando. She took a moment to gaze out the viewport at the stars and briefly get lost in thought. Lando picked up on it and tilted his head in slight curiosity, "Leia? Was my story really that boring?"

She shook her head apologetically, "No... I'm sorry Lando. It's not that. I just still have a lot on my mind."

"You're still torn over the news yesterday? About whether we should join in with the Republic fleet?"

"That's part of it," Leia answered gently, "But there are other factors... more personal ones."

Lando nodded, "Any of that have to do with the kid?"

Leia allowed herself a slight smile, "I don't blame him for being a little upset yesterday. I do think I was a little hard on him... and maybe a little difficult with everyone else, but I have my reasons."

Lando raised an eyebrow, "Oh? Those being?"

Leia was interrupted as her door chime sounded and Poe entered carrying a tablet. He paused and gave a sheepish look, "Oh. General... Lando... I'm sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt your chat."

"Don't worry about it kid," Lando said breezily as he got up from his chair and tipped his cup toward Leia, "I was just on my way out. Thanks for the drink."

He gave Poe a friendly nod before heading out of the room and leaving them to talk. Leia turned toward the young pilot a curious look, "This is a little surprise. Are you done with that report already?"

Poe stepped forward and handed her his datapad, "Actually I was hoping we could talk about something."

"What's this?" Leia said taking the tablet and looking it over.

"This is a battle plan for a volunteer mission."


	3. Meeting of the Minds

Leia stopped and stared at the tablet in front of her. She breezed through the diagrams outlining the hyperspace attack vectors, the written order of battle, and the proposed tactics. She primly set the datapad back down on her desk, "Request denied."

Poe blinked, "General, with respect… could you please reconsider? Maybe look over my outline a little closer and…"

"I've seen everything I needed to and my answer is still no."

Poe shook his head, "General Organa, I'm sorry but I'm a little confused here. If we can help take out that Cerberus Cannon, we might give the Republic fleet a fighting chance. If we sit back and do nothing, they're going to get creamed."

"You realize it's possible the forces we send to that battle may just as well get decimated too," Leia pointed out.

"It's a calculated risk."

"No. It's a risk I'm not willing to take," Leia answered heatedly, "Not with your squadron, and especially not with you."

Poe felt his frustration mounting again, "General, last time I checked we're still fighting a war, remember? I realize that we have to be careful but if we don't ever take any risks or go on the offensive, then the best we can ever hope for is a stalemate."

"And you intend to do something about it then?" Leia challenged him.

"Yes. As a matter of fact I do."

"I don't suppose you're planning on starting another mutiny, are you?" Leia asked wryly. She realized it was kind of a low blow, but still warranted.

Poe frowned feeling a little bit of shame and embarrassment from that prior incident, "No. But if I may speak freely?"

Leia nodded giving a wary look.

Poe grimaced, feeling hesitant and uncomfortable with what he was about to say next, "I'm starting to wonder if the General has lost her stomach for command."

Leia began to bristle, "Captain Dameron… I think you're out of line now."

"I disagree," Poe said standing his ground, "Something seemed to snap when we lost Lt. Kamori the other day. I don't know what it was, but I can't help but feel it might be affecting your judgment over protecting Naboo."

Leia stopped and stared down Poe for a long moment before her stern expression began to melt away slightly. She turned off and exhaled as she got up and paced toward the large viewport in her quarters. She looked out at the stars wistfully for a minute and spoke quietly, "Maybe in some ways... you're right."

"General?"

Leia kept her back turned while looking out the window, "The other day, when I saw Lt Kamori get killed and then witnessed his grieving father, it was a very difficult moment for me."

"It's never easy to lose comrades," Poe agreed before Leia shook her head and continued.

"You misunderstand me. You remember that we had all nearly been massacred at D'Qar and Crait. Before that, I had seen countless friends die during the war with the Empire. I couldn't help but think that when I saw Kamori die, that it could have been you doing the same thing... that I would be the one in Captain Kamori's position."

The mood in the room shifted slightly from a tense and aggressive one to a much quieter state. The pilot shifted his weight slightly, "Me? I don't understand."

Leia sighed, "Since this new struggle with the First Order began, I've lost almost everything; my political standing in the Republic, my husband, my son, and until recently my own brother too."

She turned and gestured to the room, "Don't you see Poe? You are all that I have left. You and the rest of this small Resistance. It's all that's left of my life's work and the people that I love."

In many ways, Leia Organa had taken on the role of a mother for everyone in the Resistance, especially him. At times she could be hard and stern, but always honest. She gave those under her charge tough love when they needed it but only because she cared and wanted them to be better. A lifetime of war had made her tough and stoic, but underneath all that, she never lost her kind heart and in her quieter moments she could even be quite witty and affectionate.

As Poe had lost his own mother while he was still fairly young, he decided to carry on her legacy by becoming the best fighter pilot he could be under Leia's mentorship. He had known that in some ways she viewed him as a bit of a surrogate son after her own son Ben and her husband Han had left her. Over the years, Leia placed a great deal of trust in Poe and always involved him in her activities, hoping to mold him into an even better leader. Sometimes that meant letting him get away with certain things while other times being much harder on him than the other Resistance commanders. It had always been an unspoken sort of bond between the two but now that she and spoken it aloud and began to show the cracks in her armor, it made the confession all the more poignant.

"I had promised myself to never allow the same kind of thing we suffered at Crait," Leia said quietly, "I'm old and tired Poe. Maybe the selfish part of me just wants this whole damn war to end so that the people I care about don't have to suffer and die anymore. I can't help but feel that I'm partially responsible for that by not wanting to fight anymore... or submit others to do it in my stead."

Poe remained quiet and considered her words as a long silence fell over the room. He looked up and met her eyes as he spoke. This time he chose to be informal and instead, "Leia… you shouldn't feel responsible for that. Those of us who have joined this Resistance did so because we believe in this cause, because we believe in you. We know what we signed on for and we know that we may die too. If this cause wasn't good to begin with, then it wouldn't be worth risking our lives for either."

Leia smiled quietly at that sentiment and nodded before hobbling over a few steps, "So you think I'm being a little bit of a hypocrite? Or maybe a little petty toward the rest of the Republic?"

Poe shrugged, "You've given a lot to them already… maybe more than most. The one thing I always admired about you was that you were always willing to do the right thing and do good for others regardless of the rules or what personal doubts you may have had. I like to think I've taken that life lesson to heart too."

"You still have a lot to learn Poe," Leia sigh, "We aren't going to defeat the First Order by just trying to claim a moral victory."

"Maybe not, but we can make it one," Poe suggested, "Until now we've always been running away and stuck on the defensive. If we can defeat the First Order in a decisive battle at Naboo, then it may help our cause in the long run."

Leia glanced toward him in surprise as he continued, "If we can win the battle and play a decisive role in it, then that would give the Resistance more legitimacy. The rest of the Republic would have to acknowledge our voice and respect the strength that we're offering them. Think about it Leia, if word spreads, the people and scattered forces of the Republic will have something to rally behind... something to give them strength and hope again."

Leia stood considering the pilot's words with a pensive expression on her face, "Please General... at the very least, reconsider my suggestion."

After a long pause, Leia looked to him with a faint smile, "Maybe I was wrong about you. Maybe you are starting to think like a General and a statesman too."

Poe shook his head with a small laugh, "I think you're giving me too much credit General. I still don't think politicking or leading great movements is really my thing. Pilots and soldiers always need good commanders in the field so I'm happy to serve there."

Leia took up the tablet with the proposed mission plan and eyed it again, "You remember how I once told you that not every problem can always be solved by jumping into an X-wing and blowing it up?"

"Yes Ma'am. But in this case, I believe it can."

Leia snorted in grim amusement before signing off on it. "Prep your squadron and have them review this mission plan three times over. We're going to Naboo."

"We?" Poe asked in surprise, "As in the whole fleet? You're signing off on this plan?"

Leia shrugged, "Maybe I'm a little tired of running away myself... and maybe I needed someone to remind me of that. If we do this, we'll do it together."

Poe already knew this was going to be a very dangerous mission and despite his own feelings of dread and anxiety, he couldn't help but feel a little excited and hopeful too; hopeful for a chance to fight and redeem himself, but most importantly for a chance to do the right thing for all the innocents of Naboo. "Thank you General. I'll go and brief Black Squadron now."

Before he could depart the room, Leia stopped him, "Oh and Captain Dameron? Before you go, I have one more direct order that needs to come before everything else."

She came over wearing a gentle look and she lovingly placed her hands over his cheeks. As she held his face, she looked him in the eyes as a worried mother would do toward her son, "I want you to be careful out there Poe. When this battle is over, I want you and your whole squadron to come back here alive, is that understood?"

"I promise," Poe answered quietly as he stepped forward and put his arms around his surrogate mother, giving her a gentle but reassuring hug.

* * *

Elsewhere in the galaxy, Admiral Trevsom of the New Republic Navy kept a vigilant watch on the bridge of his vessel, a Starhawk battleship named the Resolute. A mixed group of Republic ships had gathered around the blue and green planet of Naboo to stand guard over it. Despite their best efforts, their picket line of corvettes, frigates and a few small cruisers still looked a little thin and uneven. The relatively young fleet Admiral removed his cap for a moment and wiped his brow. A thin line of nervous sweat had risen to his forehead as he kept on wondering when the enemy would show up. The Resolute's long range sensors had been vague but the Republic defenders knew that it wasn't a matter of if, but when the First Order would attack.

He sat at his chair and drummed his fingers quietly before his First Officer turned from his workstation, "Admiral? We're picking up movement. There are a lot of contacts approaching fast from hyperspace. So much for a prolonged calm before the storm, Trevsom thought grimly to himself. On the other hand, with the excruciating wait over, now he could focus his fearful energy on surviving the battle itself. "Commander, signal the rest of the fleet. Shields forward and stand by weapons to fire."

From the bridge, Trevsom and his bridge crew watched in wide eyed dread as a flotilla of First Order warships dropped out of hyperspace and jumped into the Naboo system. By their sensors, they counted five formidable Resurgent-class destroyers, one large Mandator-class Dreadnaught, and a small host of escort frigates, transports, and corvettes. In an odd move, the enemy fleet took up a position at the far edge of the system just out of range of weapons fire. Even more peculiar, they formed up around the barren moon of Veruna which held little to no strategic value for a space battle.

Trevsom frowned in confusion, "What the hell are they doing out there?"

"Sir, should we scramble our fighters?" his First Officer asked hesitantly.

Trevsom raised a hand quickly, "No. Hold on. The First Order is up to something."

Sure enough, a few of the smaller enemy ships made way as a large object was brought up from the rear line of the First Order fleet. Trevsom's felt beads of sweat bubble up again on his collar and his brow as he recognized the large three headed monstrosity on the viewscreen, "No... it can't be. Is that the Cerberus Cannon?"

The other bridge officers looked on in dread as the enemy aimed their cannon toward the deserted moon of Veruna and powered up the weapon. One of the weapons officers called out, "Admiral, we're picking up major energy spikes coming from that weapon out there."

At the other end of the battlefield, the power coils of the three headed Cerberus Cannon flared to life and pulsed with energy as it finished its charging sequence. On the bridge of the large Mandator-class destroyer Eviscerator, one of the officers called out, "We are locked on target. Cannon is fully charged, sir."

The First Order's Admiral Varrot gave a quick nod, "Very good. You may fire when ready."

To the Republic fleet's horror, the colossal triple barreled laser cannon shuddered and unleashed a powerful blast of concentrated ion particles. Although conventional blaster fire tended to do much more raw physical damage when it came to modern weaponry, the ion blast that was fired at Veruna practically seared the vacuum of space around it. The concentrated beam struck the moon and caused a great cloud of fire and dirt to erupt several miles high while shockwaves were sent through the ground for several more miles. Even if the cannon was not a Death Star laser and it was more geared toward destroying planetary shields, there was still something to be said for this display of sheer force.

A cruel smirk crossed the lips of Admiral Varrot as he watched the aftershock of the cannon blast on the surface of Veruna. One of his bridge officers asked, "Admiral? Shouldn't we have fired a shot toward the enemy instead?"

Varrot gave a slow glance toward the Republic fleet that hung over the planet of Naboo. "No. I'm certain those weak willed Republic captains have all been shaken by our show of force. We'll let them know exactly what they're up against before they die."

He figured that if he could intimidate his enemy at the start of the battle, then their focus and their will to fight would be severely damaged. he cross his arms behind his back and looked out calmly toward the battlefield ahead, "Ready our TIE fighter wings. Signal our destroyers to gather around us and prepare to commence the invasion. If we make an example of Naboo and impress the Supreme Leader, then there's nothing that those spineless Republic worms can do about it. All engines full ahead forward!"


	4. Enemy at the Gate

The Mon Calamari cruiser Valor continued hurtling through hyperspace, its entire crew was abuzz with activity as they prepared to go into battle. They had changed course and were now racing toward Naboo hoping to reach the Republic fleet in time. It was already assumed that the First Order would arrive there first, but the key would lie in being able to surprise attack the enemy from behind. As work crews hurried about and fighter pilots suited up, there was a noticeable nervous energy in the air. This would mark the first major engagement the Resistance fleet would take since its near destruction during the escape of D'Qar.

After having donned his orange flight suit and gathering his equipment, Poe made his way from the pilots' locker rooms to the main hanger bays of the cruiser where the majority of the Resistance Starfighter Corps was housed. At his heels, the little spherical droid BB-8 rolled along giving an occasional digitized chirp or whistle to other astromech droids who were being prepped for takeoff with their designated pilots. As they passed an A-wing being refueled, Poe looked over and saw his fellow wingmate Temmin doing a pre-flight inspection of his own X-wing. The portly bearded pilot gave a quick wave followed by a thumbs up before getting back to work.

Finally, they came to Poe's X-wing which had been prepped for his arrival but he stopped and stared in surprise at what he saw. Some of his young friends had all gathered to greet him; Rey, Finn, and even Rose. Behind them sat his X-wing only it had been given an extra dash of care. He saw that his fighter had been painted black and orange to resemble the original X-wing he had flown before its destruction in the hanger of the Raddus. "Whoah... hey! What's all this?"

"Well, what do you think? Do you like it?" Finn asked giving the pilot a clap on the shoulder.

Rey cleared her throat and continued to explain, "We heard that we were going to be involved in a big space battle over Naboo. Since the rest of us can't do too much out there, we figured we'd at least do something to help here."

Rose nodded, "Besides, Rey and I never got much of a chance to thank you for helping save us at Utapau a while back. Finn suggested we restore your old fighter and we thought it would be a nice gesture."

BB-8 piped up and voiced his approval while Poe grinned brightly, "I don't know what to say... thank you guys."

"Just be sure to come home safely," Rey nodded giving his hand a little squeeze.

"He'd better," Rose interjected, "I added some extra little modifications so it should be the most souped fighter in the whole squadron."

After the others had said their goodbyes and cleared out, Poe stood admiring his restored signature X-wing before he heard someone approach from behind, "Nice paint job. The black will be sure to hide the blaster scorches out there."

Poe turned to see his other wingmate Jessika Pava walk up beside him and look over the X-wing. The young female pilot had tied up her long dark hair and was carried her helmet under her arm. She gave a wry look, "So when do I get a custom paint job on my fighter too?"

"I dunno. Maybe when you blow up your own Starkiller Base?"

She gave a slightly incredulous look and shook her head, "It's funny. After having survived that suicide mission, this one should be a piece of cake... except I'm getting the same kind of jitters all over again."

"I think I'd be more worried if I were your astromech droid right now," Poe grimly joked, mentioning one of Jessika's quirks. She tended to have the worst luck with astromech droids as the ones who flew with her often wound up damaged or destroyed in battle. Among the droids in the squadron's flight pool, most of them considered her to be bad luck and would run from her like the plague for fear of meeting a terrible end too.

She gave a mild huff and slapped his arm while he laughed, "Relax! I'm just joking around. But I promise I'll try to save some targets for the rest of you guys out there."

Jessika sighed and shook her head again, "Seriously though, you really think we'll be able to pull this off? I mean, I get why General Organa was still hesitant. Even if we join with the Republic forces at Naboo, it's still going to be a really tough fight."

"Fighting huge odds was always kind of our squadron's thing," Poe pointed out, "Since when did you become so cautious?"

"Maybe since the rest of us almost lost you and the General after the D'Qar evacuation. Now that the squad is all back together and flying again, it's scary to think we might lose some friends again."

Poe nodded in understanding and put his hands on her shoulders to reassure her, "I know what you mean Jess, but I think you know that I'm going to do my best to keep you guys safe out there. I made a promise to the General and to my other friends that I'd play it safe, and that is going to extend to my own squadron too. With a little luck, I think we're going to be okay."

Jessika smiled, "Then here's for a little luck."

She reached up and gave her friend a light kiss on the cheek before heading off toward her own fighter. Poe watched her depart before he heard BB-8 speak up. They walked toward his X-wing and got themselves secured while Poe rolled his eyes, "Very funny little guy. It wasn't like that."

The little droid vocalized again from the backseat and Poe sighed, "Me and Jess? Come on BB-8. She doesn't have a thing for me and we didn't just have a moment there."

BB-8 answered with a playfully uncertain tone before Poe strapped into the cockpit and put on his helmet, "Unless you want to go fly with Jess and ask her yourself?"

That shut BB-8 immediately. Moments later, a warning klaxon sounded for people to clear the flight deck and for pilots to get ready for launch. _"Attention all fighter squadrons, prepare to launch. All crews please clear the deck."_

One by one, the X-wings, A-wings, and B-wings that had been assembled began to power-on and taxi into position for launch. It wouldn't be long before they would be joining the desperate fight to not only save Naboo, but halt the advance of their hated enemies in the First Order.

* * *

Meanwhile, a fierce firefight ensued as the fleets of the Republic and the First order clashed over Naboo. The blackness of space was lit up by volleys of green and red blaster bolts along with the energy contrails of proton torpedoes being exchanged. As X-wings and TIE fighters buzzed through the furious hail of fire dogfighting each other, Admiral Trevsom gripped a support rail as the shields of the Starhawk cruiser Resolute shook from a direct hit. One of the bridge officers looked up from his console and called out, "Admiral, the enemy cannon is charged and in in range."

Trevsom grimaced toward one of the air controllers directing the Republic fighter squadrons, "Is there any way we can launch an attack on that gun?"

"Negative sir. The First Order is shielding it near the rear edge of their formation. We'd have to go through two destroyers and its fighter screens."

"Damn," the Republic admiral growled before everyone on the bridge had their breath taken away. The Cerberus Cannon fired again and the three beams of super ionized energy streaked out toward the planet. The beam struck the planetary shield and a bright blossom of energy erupted from the impact. Shockwaves rippled over the energy shield as it shuddered and bended but didn't break either. Although it had warded off the cannon's first salvo, it was clear that it would probably not withstand a few more direct hits like that.

The crews of the battered Republic vessels looked on in dismay as the First Order warships continued with their relentless onslaught and pressed the attack. Admiral Varrot continued to oversee the progress of the battle from the main bridge of his dreadnought with a calm and almost bored expression. To the far portside wing of their main destroyer formation, he saw a few allied escort frigates break apart under heavy enemy fire followed by the destruction of one of the destroyers that was hit by a barrage of torpedoes.

As that destroyer listed and dropped from the formation, another destroyer moved up to take its place and cover the dreadnought. Outside, he could still see squadrons of TIE fighters buzzing around in a fierce dogfight against Republic X-wings and A-wings. He watched impassively as an enemy X-wing was shredded by fire and streaked past the bridge in a fiery death spiral before it exploded.

Varrot's First Officer stepped forward and stood at attention, "Sir, the enemy formation is falling back and the Cerberus Cannon is almost ready to fire again."

Varrot gave a curt nod, "As soon as that gun is charged, continue the bombardment of Naboo. Don't stop until its shield is gone and have the rest of our fleet press the attack. No quarter."

The power coils of the Cerberus Cannon continued to glow and gather more charged up energy but before the forces of the First Order could advance any further, Varrot heard another bridge officer call out to him, "Admiral… we're picking up a large number of unidentified contacts exiting hyperspace off our starboard aft!"

Varrot's eyes narrowed and he quickly walked over to the console with a mixture of surprise and outrage, "What in the world are you talking about? Who would dare interfere with us at a time like this?"

His question was suddenly answered as an image took form on his viewscreen. The Resistance cruiser Valor dropped out of hyperspace followed by a small host of allied frigates and corvettes. Officers on the Eviscerator stood in stunned shock while a few low cheers sounded from the ships of the Republic vessels.

Admiral Trevsom couldn't help but break into a relieved grin as he watched the Valor power forward while a fresh wave of Resistance starfighters quickly sortied out into an attack formation. "I'll be damned… Organa made it. The Resistance is here!"

From the cockpit of his own X-wing, Poe raced forward into battle with a full wing of Resistance fighters behind him. He could see the battered Republic fleet around Naboo trying desperately to regroup and it now looked like they had caught the attention of the First Order too. He gripped his joystick and set his shields full forward before opening his comm-link, "This is Black Leader to all Resistance fighters, prepare to attack. Black Squadron get ready to make a run for that cannon. Blue Group clear our way. Red Group keep your formation tight and shield the rest of our fleet from enemy fighters."

As Black Squadron and the other wing leaders radioed acknowledgment, BB-8 piped up from the rear of the X-wing. "Yeah I see it too BB-8. Hold on, we're going to have to fly right into the teeth of the storm here!"

On the bridge of the Valor, Leia Organa stood at the forefront directing the flow of the battle from the central command console showing the current map of space and relative position of warships involved. "This is General Organa to Admiral Trevsom. We thought you could use some help."

"And none too soon," Trevsom grinned, "Thank you General."

"Don't thank us yet," Leia said assuming her steely air in battle situations, "First we've got to take out that cannon."

She switched comm lines and radioed Poe, "Black Leader? Prepare to commence your attack... and may the force with you."

"Roger that," came the reply as a cloud of enemy TIE fighters changed direction and broke off from the main battle to intercept the Resistance forces. The A-wings of Blue Squadron spearheaded the charge and opened up with a hail of blaster fire to clear a a path."

"All right boys, lets take it to them," came the voice of the female squadron leader as the nimble A-wings rolled clear and began to skirmish with First Order fighters. The X-wings of Black Squadron powered through and took evasive action while firing back at the enemy with their own retort of blaster cannon fire.

"Damn! These guys are all over us," Temmin Wexley growled over his comm while he juked from side to side and rolled past some enemies while taking a few hits to his forward shield.

"Eyes forward Wex, let's stay on target," Jessika called back as she gritted her teeth and pulled a tight maneuver around some incoming fire.

"Black Squadron, steer clear of those destroyer escorts' firing arcs and stand by for attack," Poe added as he returned fire to scatter some TIE's, "BB-8 you think you can give me a little more thruster power back there?"

The droid gave an affirmative series of beeps as Temmin frowned in confusion, "Captain? You're not about to do something crazy, are you?"

From the rear compartment of Poe's X-wing, BB-8 fiddled with the interface of the control panels and routed more power to the fighter's engines. That added with Rose's modification caused the X-wing to jolt and roar forward at even faster speed. The pilot gripped his stick and held his breath as he neared his targets. "Now that's a real kick in the pants."

While Black Squadron pressed forward toward the Cerberus Cannon, Poe's fighter sprinted ahead toward the two star destroyers covering it. He aimed to take out the destroyers' turbolaser turrets before they could swivel around to meet the attack and tear apart the incoming X-wings. Before he could get into range, there was another bright flash as the Cerberus Cannon fired again on Naboo with an even greater energy burst this time. The cloud of ionic energy discharge temporarily scrambled the gun sights of the nearby destroyers as well as the flight control of Poe's X-wing causing it to veer off course.

While his X-wing spun out and careened wide left, he could see the cannon blast streak out and smash into Naboo's shield. Once again, the shield buckled and held under the powerful assault but the force field began to flicker while runoff energy began gently raining down from the atmosphere toward the surface of the planet in small waterfalls of twinkling light. Despite the seeming beauty of the scene, the Resistance pilots knew they were running out of time. One more blast would surely shatter the planet's defenses and bring down large chunks of the broken shield on the heads of innocent civilians down below.

When the ion cloud began to dissipate and his X-wing righted itself, Poe shook his head out and heard the alarmed and distorted voice of Jessika over his comms, "Black Leader! Where are you? Are you okay?"

He was about to respond when he turned his head and saw a small flight of enemy TIE fighters spot him and prepare to pick off the lone X-wing. Poe's eyes went wide in growing fear as he struggled to restart some of the flight control systems of his ship, "BB-8! It's time to work your magic buddy. We're in big trouble!"


	5. Great Risks and Greater Rewards

The engines of the enemy TIE fighters screamed loudly as they raced toward their helpless prey. BB-8 gave an alarmed yelp as he frantically tried to restart the systems of the X-wing and the enemy unloaded with a withering volley of green laser bolts. Poe grunted as his fighter was shaken violently and his shields withstood a fierce beating from the TIEs' first pass. He quickly glanced toward his monitors and saw his shields had been reduced to less than half strength. It wasn't certain if he could survive another pummeling like that. If the TIEs didn't get him, then the turbolasers from the destroyers might once they rebooted themselves too. "Any time now BB-8!"

To his relief, Black Squadron suddenly broke through and fanned out to chase away some of the offending enemies. Temmin swept by and snapped off a barrage of fire at some TIEs, "No need to be a hero for us Poe. We all go home together or not at all."

"You also said you were going to save a few kills for us too," Jessika chimed in as she made a rolling maneuver and shot down another TIE fighter.

By now, the turbolasers of the nearby destroyers had begun to reorient themselves and turn toward the new X-wings. BB-8 gave a digital shout as he got the fighter's systems up and running again. Poe immediately throttled up and took off toward the point defense guns, "All right! We're back in the fight."

While the rest of the fleet battle raged, Poe darted around the rear cannons of the destroyers deftly evading their shots while drawing their fire away. He armed his cannons and strafed the warships, blasting the guns apart one by one. After dismantling several turrets, Black Squadron regrouped and turned their attention back toward the Cerberus Cannon. Amid the chaos of the capital ships slugging it out, Leia's voice came in over their radios, "Black Squadron, take out that cannon! We're running out of time!"

"Copy that General," Poe answered as he sped toward their target, "Temmin, take your flight and give us some cover. Jess, you're with me. Everyone, torpedo that cannon! Everything you've got!"

The rest of the X-wings raced toward the cannon and two by two they unloaded blistering volleys of laser fire and proton torpedoes. Despite the fierce airstrike, the cannon's shielding and heavy armor absorbed most of the attacks leaving the weapon heavily damaged but still operational. The giant three headed gun continued to charge and its power coils began to glow signaling that it was preparing to fire one last salvo that would render Naboo defenseless.

No sooner had the X-wings scattered from their pass, a new flight of TIE fighters were redirected to deal with Black Squadron. Temmin glanced over his shoulder quickly, "Damn, more TIEs coming in at 7 o clock. Anyone have any torpedoes left?"

"I've got one," Jessika answered as her fighter took a glancing hit from some incoming fire. Poe nodded and surveyed the field while BB-8 gave a worried call.

"All right, let's double back for one more pass. Temmin, keep those guys off of us. Jess, it's up to you to take the last shot. The rest of us will cover your approach. You wanted a big kill, well now you got it."

"Copy that," she answered before muttering under her breath in dread, "No pressure, right?" Her astromech droid had no response to that either.

One by one, her squadmates peeled off to engage enemy fighters that got in the way until it was just her and Poe flying wing and wing. By now, the cannon had almost fully charged and her targeting sensors were still trying to achieve a firing lock for her last torpedo. A hail of fire from some TIEs dogged her and hammered at her forward shields before Poe angled in and protected her fighter with his so that his shields could absorb the incoming blasters instead. His shield strength began to drop to dangerous levels but he fought to keep steady "Keep going Jess! Hurry up and lock down that shot!"

Her heart raced and she ignored the alarmed howl from BB-8 over the radio as her targeting reticle finally went red. She pulled the trigger and sent the last torpedo screaming toward the cannon as it finally finished its recharge sequence. The X-wings peeled off in evasive maneuvers as the torpedo struck home and detonated on the generator of the cannon. A bright flash erupted while secondary explosions sheered off large sections of the cannon. The super-weapon finally exploded in a great cloud of ionized particles that swept over the battlefield leaving scores of First Order and allies vessels disabled from the pulse.

Confusion set in on both sides as disabled X-wings and TIE fighters drifted together peacefully in space. Aside from basic life support and barely functioning radios, their ships' engines, flight controls, and weapon systems had been rendered useless. BB-8 gave a confused murmur while Poe leaned back in his seat to radio his squad in relief, "Nice shot Jess. I think you just brought the house down."

He could see sections of the destroyed cannon hurtling toward Naboo's outer atmosphere and burn up in beautiful aerial streaks as they collided against the barely functioning shield. Otherwise, it was a bit surreal to see the remaining Resistance and First Order fighters drifting nearby each other without firing any shots. Two of the other star destroyers had been caught in the ion blast and shared the same fate, floating in place without being able to do anything now.

What they hadn't counted on was the remaining Dreadnought under Admiral Varrot to bear down on them. With a portion of the First Order fleet disabled and its super weapon destroyed, the flagship Eviscerator changed direction to not only rescue its stranded comrades but to turn its guns on the helpless Resistance ships as well. One such Republic corvette that had been caught in the ion blast found itself as the next victim of the enemy flagship as the Eviscerator pummeled it with blaster fire and shredded the starship apart.

"Uh Captain? I think we've got a big problem here," Temmin radioed in as he saw the Dreadnaught approach.

Poe glanced over at the colossal destroyer from his helpless X-wing and felt his stomach drop too, "I think big problem is an understatement. Black Squadron, prepare to eject from your fighters if you have to."

Fortunately, help arrived in the form of a squadron of Resistance B-wing fighter bombers launched by Leia. Even more surprising was the sight of the Millennium Falcon leading the bomber group with Lando and Chewie at the helm along with Finn and Rey at the guns. It was ironic that now Leia was the one taking a risky move by launching bombers to attack a Dreadnought, only in this situation, her first priority was to save her people out there. She stood at the bridge of her cruiser and watched the developments with a small smile, "Hang on Black Squadron. We didn't forget about you. Help is on the way."

With its back turned to the Resistance strike force, the Eviscerator was caught off guard and hamstrung when the flight of Leia's B-wing bombers unloaded a punishing barrage of torpedoes on the destroyer's engine banks. Warning klaxons sounded from the bridge of the Eviscerator as it shook violently under another volley of enemy fire. Admiral Varrot whirled around furiously on his First Officer, "Commander? Report!"

"Resistance bombers have hit us from behind sir. Half of our sub-light thrusters have been knocked out and a hyperdrive engine is offline too."

"Bring us about immediately," Varrot fumed, "Ready all point defense guns and prepare to shoot every single Resistance ship you can see out there."

The crippled destroyer sluggishly tried to change course, but it was clear that the First Order's attack had suddenly stalled. They had lost their cannon with several destroyers, and now their flagship had been crippled by a Resistance sneak attack. The stranded X-wing pilots gave a cheer as the B-wings made one more bombing pass on the Eviscerator before heading back toward the Valor.

A few of the remaining TIE fighters who had sortied out to pick off the helpless Resistance pilots were also caught off guard as the Falcon raced through the storm and opened up a fierce spray of blaster fire to ward them off. A few TIEs were instantly incinerated before the others turned tail and fled back to the safety of the Eviscerator. What had once looked like a First Order victory had now devolved into a messy rout as the enemy had not expected the Republic forces to put up such a determined fight and to work together like they had.

Jessika checked her sensors, "The First Order is hurting now! Maybe they'll break off the attack and run for it?"

"I don't think they're going to be running anywhere," Poe laughed in glee as he saw a new group of Republic ships jump into the Naboo system from hyperspace.

From the bridge of her ship, Leia watched in surprise as the unexpected reinforcements closed in and began to block off escape points for any First Order ship wanting to escape into hyperspace. They had sprung a trap and now that the invaders had been cornered, the allies could move in for the kill. Leia radioed over to Trevsom, "I didn't know we were going to be so popular Admiral. Friends of yours?"

"It seems so General," Trevsom agreed with a smile, "These are ships we called out to in the Outer Rim and we didn't think they would come... until they found out you were coming."

"It seems they just needed a little courage and someone to believe in their ability to fight," Leia answered quietly while recalling her recent talks with Poe. It seemed they had both influenced each other for the better on this one. "Admiral? We're getting signals from some of the smaller First Order ships that they want to surrender."

"Then we'll accept them," Trevsom replied, "Hopefully whoever is captaining that Dreadnought will be smart and do the same thing."

From her observation post on the Valor, Leia watched as the Eviscerator abruptly changed direction and fired its hyperspace engines for a desperate retreat. The Republic reinforcements steered clear and finally let the giant star destroyer jump out of the system for fear of a disastrous collision. One of the other bridge officers looked up from her consoles and asked aloud, "General, the enemy is retreating into hyperspace. Should we try to follow them?"

Leia shook her head and turned back to the other smaller enemy ships that were now surrendering one by one, "No. Let them go. Whatever General Hux has in mind for the commander of that ship, it might be far worse than what we'd do to him here. Besides, we accomplished what we came here to do."

Lando's voice came in over the comms as the Falcon did a flyby of Black Squadron to watch over them, "General, Black Squadron is all accounted for. I think you'd better send some shuttles for our pilots here."

Leia nodded to one of her other crewmen on the bridge to see to it before Poe answered over the radio, "Thanks again for the cover Lando, and to you General. Permission to return home?"

Leia smiled as she saw the victorious Republic fleet regroup and the streaks of light still trailing off the atmosphere of Naboo, "Permission granted Black Leader. We'll see you soon."

* * *

After having secured a surprising come from behind victory over Naboo, the Republic forces there regrouped and hung in orbit for the next few days to sort things out. There was the matter of dealing with the captured elements of the First Order splinter fleet along with making plans to reshuffle the Republic defenses in the nearby sectors. It had seemed that Admiral Trevsom had been correct that some of the allied ship captains that came from the Outer Rim did so when they heard Leia was getting involved again. In a way, the Resistance fleet's participation here had been more decisive than Leia had originally expected as it gave sparks of encouragement to others to stand up to the onslaught of the invading First Order.

A few days later, Leia was in her quarters of the Valor going over some work when she heard the door chime. She looked up slowly, "Come in."

The doors parted and Poe entered the room. To Leia's surprise, he was wearing his more formal brownish green service uniform of the Resistance. He carried a datapad in his hand and he stopped to stand at attention. "Reporting as ordered General. I've also prepared an after action report and my review of the squadron's performance."

"That wasn't even necessary but I still appreciate the initiative," Leia said taking the slate, "How is your team doing?"

"They're well General. Maybe still a little bit rattled from the close call out there, but nothing we haven't dealt with before," Poe replied.

Leia stood up and began to pace the room, "Good. I wanted to speak to you a little bit more before I head down to the planet to meet with some of the local officials and the other leaders of the Republic fleet. I wanted to commend you for your actions out there in the battle. Not only in taking out that super weapon, but in the way that you did it to."

Poe tilted his head, "I wasn't the one who took out the cannon General. Jess Pava was the one responsible so I recommended her for an award."

"And she'll get it," Leia smiled, "But I also understand you had been shielding her fighter for incoming fire at great risk to yourself."

Poe paused, "I was just putting the lives of my squadmates first. She's my wingmate and my friend, and I did what I had to so we could complete the mission... I'm sorry I disobeyed some of your orders and put myself at risk out there."

Leia waved it off, "It's okay Poe. I understand. As far as taking risks goes, I also wanted to speak to you so that I could thank you."

"Thank me, Ma'am?"

Leia nodded, "Yes. I wanted to tell you that you were right about changing my mind about coming here. It's possible we had been the deciding factor in all this. If that cannon was allowed to take down Naboo's shield and then turn on the rest of the fleet, it would have been a massacre."

"We can't ever be sure of that," Poe said gently to try and reassure Leia, "That was ultimately your decision to make."

"And I'm glad I had a second opinion to point out my blind spots," Leia said, "It's easy to lose sight of things when your in my position and you've been doing this as long as I have."

Poe replied, "Well... if it makes you feel any better, I had a lot of soul searching to do for myself after the battle around Crait too. I had messed up too and I know I still have a lot of things left to learn right now... but I hope you'll still keep teaching me."

"Of course I will," Leia said in a gentle motherly way, "But it might have to wait for now. I'm going to be late for my meeting with the other Republic commanders. It seems that you were right about something else. They're giving us a bigger voice to speak with at the meeting table and they can't deny our role in the fight any longer."

"Which is one of the other reasons I'm here," Poe said while straightening his uniform, "With your permission I was... uh, hoping that I could tag along and sit in on the discussions from the background. I know I said before that politics and high level diplomacy weren't my thing... but I could probably stand to learn a few things. If you want me to be a better leader, I'll need to know some of that stuff, don't you think?"

Leia beamed at his gesture to meet her halfway, "I think that's a terrific idea... but you can't go as you are right now either."

Poe blinked in confusion, "General?"

Leia walked over to her desk and removed a silver pin with a blue marking on it. It was a rank device used in the Republic Navy showing the rank of Commander. She handed him back his old pin, "If you're going to such a meeting and you want those guys to take you seriously, you might need this."

Poe stared at the pin he had formerly worn before he had been demoted, "General? I don't understand. You're reinstating me to my former position?"

"From what I've observed recently, I don't see any reason why I shouldn't," Leia answered matter of factly, "Now I've got a meeting to attend. Can I count on your continued support there Commander Dameron?"

He smiled brightly and followed her out of the office, "Yes Ma'am. I won't let you down."

Despite the all the struggles they had already faced, and those yet to come, Leia Organa was certain that she had made the right decision and that Poe would keep his word to her. With that shared bond of trust once more, it gave them the glimmer of hope once more that everything would be okay and that one day peace and order would finally be restored to the galaxy once again.

* * *

 **A/N:**  
 **To anyone who had made it this far, thanks so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed this little short story. I thought it might be fun to explore the mother-son relationship between Leia and Poe as well as give the pilots of Black Squadron a little more love and attention. Lightsaber duels and Jedi stuff is all great too, but I've always loved the space battles and X-wing dogfights even more. ;)**

 **Feel free to comment if you'd like and as always, May the Force be with all of you!**


End file.
